The White Tigers' Past
by Hiei-Touya-icedemon
Summary: My story of life when the White Tigers were really young, all around five. This should go on until Ray leaves. On hold for now.
1. Homework

Raymond Kon knocked on his best friend, Lee,'s door. Ray sighed and looked at the size of the pile of homework he was carrying. He and Lee were going to get together to work on it.

Lee, however, did not answer the door. His little sister, Mariah, did. Ray smiled sweetly as Mariah looked up at him and then raced off to shout, "It's Ray!" He heard Lee's voice yelling back, "Well let him in, Mariah!"

Ray didn't wait for Mariah to come back. He slid through the door and shut it. When Mariah got back, she blinked to see Ray already standing there. But then she shrugged and ran off somewhere.

Lee often thought his sister to be annoying, but Ray had a soft spot for the four-year-old. Though both of them were only six, Ray and Lee both lived alone, except for Mariah with Lee, of course. Ray's parents were never around, so he took care of himself, and Lee and Mariah's parents had died when Lee was two and Mariah just a baby. But their grandfather was the head elder, so they still had a guardian; he was just never around, same as Ray.

"Did Mariah bug you?" Lee asked as Ray entered the kitchen. Ray shook his head and sat down.

"Well, let's get started" Ray said, and Lee nodded.

A few minutes later, when Ray and Lee were struggling on a particularly difficult math problem, they heard tiny footsteps outside the kitchen door.

"Mariah" Lee said, rolling his eyes. Ray shrugged and got back to work.

Three minutes later, they were still working on the same problem, with no luck.

"Nine" a small voice said from the doorway.

Ray and Lee turned around to see Mariah standing there, looking shy but fairly certain of herself.

"Mariah, what did I tell you about interrupting us when we're doing homework?" Lee said, crossing his arms. Mariah sank a little.

"Wait" Ray said, walking over to Mariah, "What did you say earlier?"

"I said nine" Mariah repeated. The boys looked at each other, confused. Mariah sighed.

"The answer's nine. I heard you guys reading the problem"

Ray raised his eyebrows. He knew Lee's sister was a lot smarter than Lee seemed to give her credit for, but this was a math problem two years above her level!

"She's right!" Lee cried, having taken figured out how to do the problem at last, and worked it out.

"Hey Mariah" Ray said, grinning, "You wanna help us with some more of our homework?"

Mariah's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously.

"Come on then" Lee said, motioning to the bench at the table.

Mariah practically sprinted over to the bench, and used one hand to launch herself onto it.

The boys smiled as they began to go over their homework with Mariah, whose eyes were shining as she quickly began to scan the homework papers.

**Author's Notes: I came up with the idea for this story when I was re-watching my one and only (besides the movie, but that doesn't count) Beyblade DVD, Hidden Tiger. I loved the stories of their past and thought they were adorable when they were little, so I decided to do a story on it. And yes, the other White Tigers will appear, but I wanted this chapter to be all about the main three.**

**Just to clarify the ages:**

**Ray: 6**

**Lee: 6**

**Mariah: 4**

**Kevin: 3**

**Gary: 7**


	2. A Beybattle in the Schoolyard

"I must admit, these homework grades surprised me"

It was the next day, and Ray and Lee were sitting in their classroom, beaming. Their teacher looked baffled.

"Especially Kon and Sevela" the teacher added, and the boys grinned at each other from their seats across the room from each other.

The teacher looked at them curiously and began to pass out their homework papers. Ray and Lee happily saw a large, red 100 on their papers.

"It looks like you two are finally getting serious about your schoolwork" the teacher said, nodding to them. Ray grinned as he put it inside his binder, next to the most recent grades he and Lee had been getting, mostly 75's.

"You could say that" Lee said, and the teacher was about to question them when the recess bell rang.

"Does using Mariah count as getting serious?" Ray asked as the two walked outside. Lee shrugged, and then turned as they reached the end of the schoolyard.

The boys had a special place that they went for recess, it was a little area outside the schoolyard that had a hollowed out tree stump, perfect for Beybattles.

"You ready?" Ray asked as they pulled out their Beyblades.

"Yeah" Lee said, putting it on his black launcher.

Suddenly, the boys spotted a little pink blur in the distance, racing up the hill the schoolhouse was on at top speed. Once it reached them, it stopped, and Ray realized it was a very familiar girl.

"Mariah!" Lee cried, "You know you're not supposed to be here!"

Mariah shrugged.

"So?" she asked, and Ray smiled.

"Oh well" he said, "Let's battle, Lee"

"'Kay!"

Mariah sat down, her legs just barely dangling over the in-ground stump. Both boys launched their Blades, and Mariah began to cheer.

"Go Ray! Go Lee!"

Ray grinned, and his Beyblade seemed to feel it, because it suddenly jerked forward, hitting Lee's hard.

Lee quickly responded with a sharp attack of his own, but Ray dodged it and attacked from the back.

Lee's Blade went flying back towards him, and it crashed into the side, where it made a large dent in the wood.

"Not again!" Lee cried, raising his arms in exasperation.

"Hey, you were close that time!" Ray said as his own Blade flew into his open palm.

"Yay!" Mariah cried, and Ray grinned again. Suddenly, there was a large gust of icy wind, and all three of them shivered.

Lee's blue jacket and Ray's new brown one he'd gotten for his birthday from another friend, Gary, were fine, but Mariah's old white one was falling apart. But her own birthday was next week, though Ray and Lee both already knew what they were getting her.

"How come I can't Beyblade?" Mariah asked for about the millionth time.

"Because you don't have a Beyblade!" Lee cried, "And besides, Beyblading's not for girls!"

"Is too!" Mariah cried.

"Is not!" Lee responded.

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

BRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGGGG!

All three of them looked up, that was the school bell. Mariah stuck her tongue out at Lee, and then took off down the hill.

Lee pouted, and Ray rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Lee" he said, "We've got to get back!"

"All right" he said reluctantly, unfolding his arms. The boys pocketed their Beyblades and took off for the school building, just waiting until they could go home.

**Author's Notes: Wow, that was fast! I guess I really like this story! Anyway, please review, and until next time, guys! Oh, and by the way, here are some cookies for all who were kind enough to review.**


	3. Birthday Suprises

It had been one week since Mariah had started helping Lee and Ray on their homework, and now their friend Gary, who was one year older than the boys, was requesting it as well. But today was no time for homework, because it was Mariah's fourth birthday!

The boys were at Lee and Mariah's house, along with Gary and Kevin, a young boy with unusual talking skills for a two-year old (I changed his age so it was what he would really be) that Mariah had made friends with recently.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Mariah! Happy birthday to you!"

"Blow out the candles Mariah!" Lee cried, and Mariah took a deep breath. She blew as hard as she could, but only blew out three of the four candles. Agitated, she took another breath and blew the last one out.

Gary then took a knife off the table and began to cut the cake. There were four equal pieces, and one fairly larger one for him.

All the way through the cake, the group talked about Beyblading. Kevin surprised all of them by also knowing quite a bit, and that he wanted his own one day.

Finally, everyone finished and Mariah raced over to the living room, where her presents were. There were the presents from Lee, Gary, Ray, and Kevin of course, but several of the villagers who knew Mariah had also sent her gifts.

The first gift Mariah opened was the one on top of the pile, from the lady next door, Naomi. It was a new jacket, soft and pink. Naomi often watched over Mariah when the boys were at school, and she worried about the state of her jacket.

Next was Lee's gift. It was in a small box, and had a blue bow on it. Mariah opened it and gasped. It was a beautiful pink hair ribbon! Mariah hugged her brother tight, and he grinned.

The grocery store man had sent Mariah four dollars (I don't know what the Chinese use). "One for every year you've lived!" the card said. Here, four dollars could buy four chocolate bars, or sixteen gumballs, or five bags of gummy bears.

Gary's gift was a small digital watch with a pink band. Mariah put it on and cheered.

The bookstore man sent her a set of three books, one of famous Beybladers, one of famous Beybattles, and one of famous Beyblades. The books were colorfully illustrated, and Mariah fell in love with them at once.

Kevin's gift was next. He gave her a silver whistle to hang around her neck. Mariah tried it on and all the boys commented on it.

Mariah's grandfather gave her a pinks scarf for the coming winter, and the candy store man sent her a whole box of the fancy chocolates he knew she loved.

Ray's gift was last. Like Lee's, it was in a small box, but his bow was yellow. She opened it and her eyes widened in shock.

Mariah screamed with joy and threw her arms around Ray's neck. Gary, Kevin, and Lee were curious, so they took a look.

It was a little pink Beyblade.

Lee grinned and Gary and Kevin looked at each other in surprise. Mariah looked up at Lee now.

"See, I told you Beyblading was for girls!"

Lee stuck out his tongue and then said,

"So, let's give it a spin!"

**Author's Notes: Yeah, crummy ending, I know, but I thought it would look cute if her first Beybattle was its own chapter. And I know I already said she was four, but what I meant was that she was almost four. Got me? Well, until next time!**


	4. First Beybattle

The group of five headed out to Lee and Mariah's backyard. There, Ray lent Mariah his launcher and rip cord, and Lee set up his own.

"Do you know how, Mariah?" Ray asked, and Mariah nodded.

"Of course I do, I've been watching you two Beyblade forever!"

Ray and Lee looked at each other, and Lee spoke.

"Well, it's a lot different when you're actually doing it-"

"I can do it!"

"All right…"

Ray stood beside the earthen Beydish and raised three fingers.

"Three…" Lee and Mariah clicked their Blades onto the launchers.

"Two…" They set them over the dish.

"One…" Hands on the rip cords, they grinned.

"LET IT RIP!"

One black and one pink Beyblade flew into the dish. Mariah was actually pretty good for a beginner, as she guided her Blade around Lee, who remained in one spot.

Suddenly, Lee's Blade thrashed out at Mariah's. She gasped and tried to pull her own Blade out of the way, but Lee's hit connected, and Mariah's Blade went flying.

Miraculously, her Blade landed on the very rim of the Beydish, and she sped back into action, pulling out a strong attack on Lee.

Having thought she was going to fly out of the dish, Lee was completely unprepared. He gasped as his own Blade was hit hard, but experience allowed him to hold on so that his Blade only skidded back a bit. Now Mariah was completely within range.

Mariah seemed to realize this.

"Uh oh…" she said.

"Uh oh is right!" Lee cried as his black Beyblade collided with Mariah's pink one. This time, when her Blade went flying, it went out and over Mariah's head, landing on a soft patch of grass behind her.

"The winner is Lee!" Ray cried, and Mariah pouted.

"Hey, its okay, Mariah!" Lee said, picking up his Blade, "You put up a good fight! For a girl, that is"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mariah demanded as Lee snickered. She jumped on him, and his Blade went flying.

Lee pushed Mariah off of him and ran to grab his Beyblade. Mariah grabbed her own and grinned.

Lee stuck out his tongue at her and Mariah pouted. The other three looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

Then, they heard a low voice calling Gary's name. They gasped and all ran inside, and then to the front door, where Gary's dad was. Kevin's mother wasn't far behind.

Once they left, Ray, Lee, and Mariah looked around the house. There was leftover cake laying out, and frosting where Kevin had knocked his piece over. Plates lay on the counter unwashed, and there was wrapping paper everywhere.

Mariah grinned and said she was 'gonna go practice with her new Beyblade'. Lee put his foot down and said she had to help clean up. But Mariah only stuck out her tongue and said she was the birthday girl. She strode off to her room.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me, huh Ray?"

"Oh, I dunno Lee" Ray said, smiling, "It's awful dark, and the villagers are gonna wonder where I am. I better get going"

Ray waved goodbye, grinning broadly. He left quickly, before Lee had a chance to protest. Lee scowled and muttered something about 'hard labor'.

**Author's Notes: Sorry I took so long to update, but I had tons of homework _and_ Church Choir practice _and_ Beyblade yesterday, so I didn't have any time to write this. But I like the ending, though. It's kind of a copy off another story of mine, There Ain't No Mountains High Enough, where they order two pizzas, one for Tyson and one for the rest of the Bladebreakers, and make Tyson pay for one whole pizza, while the rest pay for one quarter of the other one, because Tyson gets his own. Anyway, Tyson storms off to get the money, (quote) muttering something about 'unfair treatment' (unquote). So remember, please review, and yin-yang headbands to all my third-chapter reviewers!**


	5. The Birth of the White Tigers

"I got one!" Lee cried, tugging at his line.

It had been two weeks since Mariah's birthday, and the group was going fishing. All the members of the White Tiger Village were chosen to learn some type of skill from birth, so they would be good at many things. Lee and Ray knew how to fish, Mariah was learning to cook, Gary was being taught to fix things, and Kevin's skills, due to his small size, were in sneaking around.

As Lee pulled in yet another fish by the dynamic duo, Gary opened the crate. Mariah was preparing a fire to cook them on, her skills teacher, Naoko, watching over. Kevin was actually creeping around in the water, trying to grab a fish.

"Aaah!"

Kevin actually managed to grab one and accidentally threw it up in surprise, slipping in the water and drenching himself. Instantly, Ray jumped out and caught the fish, throwing it into the bucket with Lee's fish.

Gary took a look in the bucket and announced that they had enough fish for now. The others agreed and the boys took off to get the soaking wet Kevin a towel and a change of clothes. Mariah stayed to finish the fire.

Once dinner was finished, everyone with a Beyblade, aka, everyone except Kevin, began a battle.

It was a tag-team battle, Ray and Mariah vs. Lee and Gary. It was made this way to make it 'even'.

As it turned out, Ray and Mariah were a great tag-team, whereas Lee and Gary were not. The aforementioned team absolutely trounced the latter.

"Yeah!" Ray and Mariah cried hi-fiving and cheering. Kevin smiled, sincere but sad, and Lee noticed it.

"Kevin, come here" he said, "I have something for you"

Kevin got up from his seat on the ground and walked over to Lee, who took something out of his pocket. Kevin gasped.

A Beyblade!

"Really?" Kevin asked, and Lee nodded.

"I got it for you, and I wanted to make sure you really wanted it before I gave it to you"

Kevin screamed and jumped up and down. He spun around in circles and threw his arms up in joy. His Beyblade was a pale lavender, but he didn't care.

"Hey guys" Mariah said, "Does this mean we're a team?"

"I think it does" Lee observed, looking around at everyone.

"Yeah" Kevin said, finally calming down.

"Shouldn't we have a name, then?" Gary asked.

"I guess" Lee said.

"But what?" Mariah asked.

"What about the White Tigers?" Ray spoke up for the first time.

"Like the village?" Lee asked.

"Exactly"

"I like it!" Mariah stated.

"Me, too" Gary agreed.

"Me three" Kevin said.

"Make that four" Lee added.

"Then it's settled!" Ray proclaimed, "From this moment on, we're the White Tigers!"

The five raised their Blades to the sky.

"YEAH!"

**Author's Notes: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! That's so ADORABLE! Omg, it's gonna kill me when Ray leaves. But, luckily, that won't be for _quite_ a while. I'm gonna make sure of that, even though the next chapter's gonna be a few year later. I'm so happy; I get to watch the White Tigers grow up. Even better, I get to create them growing up! Well, bye, and pink hair ribbons to all female reviewers, and Lee's necklace to boys!**


	6. Making Trouble

It was an ordinary day for the White Tigers. Nine-year old Ray and Lee were Beybattling; seven year old Mariah was cheering for Ray, ten year old Gary for Lee.

Just as Ray was beginning to push Lee over the edge (the record between Ray and Lee now 478 wins to none), a lavender Beyblade went flying into the dish, knocking both the gray and black Beyblades out.

Both boys looked at each other until they heard laughing coming from above them. Five year old Kevin was sitting in a tree, nearly falling out as he howled with laughter.

At the sight of Ray and Lee looking as though they'd like to boil him in scalding hot water, Kevin's eyes grew wide. He launched himself out of the tree and flipped onto the earth, taking off at top speed. Ray and Lee ran after him, but both Mariah and Gary knew it was no use. No one could catch Kevin once he started running.

Both Mariah and Gary looked at each other and sighed. Recently, Kevin had earned himself a reputation of team troublemaker. He loved the title, and lived up to it well.

Mariah threw Kevin's Blade out of the stadium and readied her launcher, recently acquired from Ray for her seventh birthday party. Gary had bought his in town about a year ago, and Kevin had gotten one from his parents for Christmas (yes, I know perfectly well that China doesn't celebrate Christmas!) last year.

Mariah and Gary both let it rip, and they were just starting to get serious when a very tired Kevin came racing up to them.

"You've…got…to…help…me" Kevin panted. Mariah's Blade came soaring into her open palm as she shook her head.

"I didn't tell you to do something that stupid, Kevin. Oh look, is that them now?"

Kevin yelped and looked behind him, where nothing but the setting sun was.

"Very funny" he said, turning back around. Mariah grinned and looked at Gary, who smiled back. Mariah snapped her fingers.

"GET HIM!"

Two boys came racing out from behind a tree, and pounced on Kevin.

"Sorry Kev" Mariah said as she walked over, grinning from ear to ear and not looking the least bit sorry.

Kevin stuck his tongue out at her and tried to wrestle Ray and Lee off of him, but to no use.

"How dare you interrupt our Beybattle!" Lee shouted, "I was about to win!"

Ray looked at him exasperatedly and Lee made a face.

"Well I _was_!" he said, and Ray rolled his eyes. Kevin took this chance to jump out from underneath them, sticking his tongue out at both of them and then taking off up a tree.

Instantly, Ray and Lee took off after him, but, just like when he was running, no one could catch Kevin when he was in a tree. He scampered up, using his hands to pull himself through the many branches. Finally, he used a sturdy branch to launch himself up and did a flip, landing perfectly on top, in a crouching position.

Ray and Lee growled. They were both about to go up themselves when one of the elder, Lee and Mariah's grandfather,'s advisors came walking up to them. Thinking he wanted them, Lee and Mariah quickly hid behind the nearest person. But it turned out he wanted someone else.

"Ray!"

**Author's Notes: Hmm, I wonder what Ray is wanted for? Listen, just so you know, I'll be breaking the rules in the next chapter. What I mean is that I know what age he is and what really happens afterwards, but I'm changing it because I want to and because it fits my story better. Also, I'll be getting my report card soon and I just know I didn't get a good grade in Social Studies, and my parents don't let me go on the internet if I don't get good enough grades until I bring them up (aka, until my progress report), so if I don't update in a while, that's why. I might be able to slip in a chapter before I get it, and I hope so, but just in case, I don't want you guys to think I've abandoned this story. Well, I love all you readers, and I'll try extra hard to bring up my grades just for you. Please review, and brownies to all of you who bothered to read this (you get two if you review).**


	7. A Gift

"What's up?" Ray asked as he and the rest of the White Tigers walked along the path to the head elder's place. He and Lee had forgiven Kevin for interrupting their Beybattle in their curiosity.

The advisor merely shook his head in answer to Ray's question, and the White Tigers looked at each other in confusion.

Since it was already around sunset, and the White Tigers had been practicing near the borders of the village, it had already turned dark by the time they reached their destination.

All five children stood in the back of the room, until the elder called Ray forward. He looked nervously back at his friends and cautiously stepped forward.

"I have something for you, Ray" Lee and Mariah's grandfather said, taking out a box. "What I have here is a bit that contains an ancient power"

Ray stepped forward eagerly, and then saw exactly _which_ bit it was. Driger.

Ray heard a sharp gasp from behind him. He glanced back at Lee sadly. Driger was the most important Bit in the village, and was passed down by the holder to the next generation's person that was most worthy of its power. Even so, it had actually been passed down through _Lee's_ family over the years.

Lee seemed to realize that Ray knew of his disappointment, so he quickly fixed his expression and walked up to Ray.

He outstretched his arm and Ray caught it midair, their trademark sign of friendship. Mariah, Kevin, and Gary looked at each other and all cheered.

And so from that moment on, Driger was Ray's. And none of his teammates cared in the least.

**Author's Notes: Aww, Lee's so nice! Now you guys see what I mean, and yes, they'll be going through their adventures still with Ray having Driger. Le me bring you up to date on the ages:**

**Ray: 9**

**Lee: 8 (Almost nine)**

**Mariah: 7**

**Gary: 10**

**Kevin: 5**

**Review, and I would like to dedicate this chapter to HikarioftheMoon (did I spell that right?), who inspired me to put up another chapter with her kind review. Thanks all, and Driger plushies to reviewers! Oh, and no, I haven't gotten my report card yet.**


	8. Skating On Thin Ice

"Hey Lee, wanna Beyblade?"

"What's the use? Now that you've got Driger, none of us can beat you"

"None of you could beat me anyways"

"Why, you-"

Lee pounced on Ray, but it was to no use. Ray easily rolled out of the way and Lee hit the ground. But Lee was persistent, and that was what Ray was counting on.

Ray jumped up and, without a thought, pulled out his launcher and rip chord. He clicked on his Beyblade and launched it straight a Lee.

Lee instinctively reached for his own gear and shot his new and improved Blade at Ray's in defense.

Ray smirked as the two Blades collided and hit the ground, instantly starting up a battle. Gary, who understood what Ray had just done, laughed. Mariah smiled, and a question mark appeared over Kevin's head.

Lee's jaw dropped.

"How did you- What…When-…Huh?"

Ray smiled as the black Blade went flying out of the stadium. But his smile suddenly disappeared as that Blade went crashing into Lee's stomach.

"Lee! Are you okay?" he yelled as his best friend collapsed to the ground, holding his stomach.

"Lee!"

"Are you okay, man?"

"Big brother!"

The rest of the White Tigers came rushing over as well.

Lee gave a pained smile.

"I'm okay" he said, "I've had worse. I'm just not used to it hitting my bare skin before"

Kevin, Gary, and Mariah looked at each other and shrugged. Ray gave a half smile and said,

"Sorry, man"

"I said it's okay"

"No you didn't, you said _you're_ okay"

"Same goddamn thing"

"Watch you're language, young man!"

All of the White Tigers whipped around to see Lee's favorite of his grandfather's assistants, Gao Kong, along with Rai Chan, his least favorite.

Gao was strong, a born leader, and everything Lee wanted to be when he grew up. Rai was strict, picky about rule breaking, and everything opposite Lee.

Lee rolled his eyes and got up.

"Wassup? Gramps want me again?"

It had been a year since Ray had gotten Driger, and Lee had grown a bit of a disrespect for authority. Gary had never been, Mariah wasn't there yet, Ray only used it when he was with his friends, and Kevin had always had it.

"That's honored Grandfather to you, Lee!" Rai barked, "No wonder you weren't chosen for the Driger Bitbeast!"

Ray cringed, but Lee shrugged it off. He didn't truly care, he was just sick of Ray beating him so badly.

"Give up Rai" Gao said.

"Fine. Follow me, Lai-"

"My name is Lee" Lee growled.

Lee hated his name. He had from the minute he was born, to this day, and probably until he died he would. It wasn't until Mariah was born and called him "Lee" because she couldn't pronounce it right that he changed it.

Lee had encouraged Ray to do so as well, knowing Ray thought his name was girly at the time. Ray honestly hadn't cared, but, to shut Lee up, he had simply changed "Rei" to "Ray". He'd ended up falling in love with the kanji, and refused to write it any other way.

"Well, whoever you are, follow me"

Reluctantly, Lee did so, motioning for his team to follow him, scowling the whole way.

Now that he was in 'double digits', Lee was beginning to get his interest in how far he could go before the adults snapped. Slipping off his flat blue shoes, he raced ahead of the adults, sticking out his tongue and enjoying the breeze over his chest. Ray had given him a cool blue shirt with a red outline for his 10th birthday, and Lee loved that it was supposed to hang open.

Rai chased after him, but Lee was too fast. He vaulted himself over a tree stump and continued running.

The other White Tigers joined in the race. Mariah and Ray both tag-teamed and did a flip over the adults, and Gary sped up. Kevin raced up a tree and began to race and flip across the branches. Three more assistants caught sight of them and, with an "okay" nod from Gao and Rai, also chased the five children.

One assistant, a girl named Ming, managed to catch Mariah's pony-tail. Mariah shrieked and began to struggle. Lee heard and ran back, pulling Ming's hand off of Mariah, who took off. Unfortunately, this got Lee caught by Ming's hand, and he began to struggle even harder than Mariah had. Ray was just about to go help him when-

"STOP!"

Everything fell silent, including Lee's shrieks for freedom. Kevin, who had stopped running through the branches to watch the scene with Ming, fell out of the tree. Gary, who was being tailed by Gao, tripped and went rolling through the grass. Mariah slipped and went sliding through a puddle of mud. Ray turned around and Lee merely looked up.

It was the head elder himself, and Lee sank to the ground.

Scanning the situation, the elder sighed and motioned for them to follow him inside.

"We'll discuss this later, Lee" he said, "For now, there's something I want to give to you"

All the White Tigers shrugged, got up from their various positions, and followed him. Lee pulled himself out of Ming's grasp and did so as well.

**Author's Notes: (Looking around her little area, everything is soaked with tears)... I PASSED! I LOVE YOU ALL! (Hugs all readers, and kisses all male reviewers on the cheeks, hi-fiving the girls) I GOT AN 89! I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA FAIL! HA HA HA! TAKE THAT MRS. JENNINGS! Okay, now that that's over, I want to apologize for how long it took to update this story, I was a little dry on ideas. Now I'm all filled up with at least three more chapters. Yay! Anyways, naughty, naughty Lee. I enjoy making him the little delinquent, it's quite fun. And yes, the characters are starting to mature, they look more like they do in the show now. Well, have a cookie, and see ya!**


	9. Evening the Odds

The five White Tigers walked into the building. It was large and finely decorated, but Lee merely yawned. He'd been in here so many times before (not always for such good reasons) that it didn't impress him anymore. Mariah was often here with Lee, but not when he got in trouble. The rest of the team hadn't been here in a year, ever since Ray got Driger.

"Now, Lee, because of your little episode back there, most would say this decision was a bad one. But I believe this proves you're even more ready, that you're growing up"

All five children looked up at the elder in curiosity. He grinned widely.

"Come here, Lee"

Cautiously, Lee stepped up to his grandfather, who took out a box. He handed it to Lee, who very slowly opened it.

"Oh my god"

Lee was staring at the box, and the others just stared at _him_. Suddenly, Lee whipped around and smirked at Ray.

"Take a look at this!"

All four walked over and gasped.

Galeon.

"Hah! You're not the only one with a Bitbeast now!"

"Yeah, well I can still beat you!"

"Can not!"

"Can too!"

"Prove it!"

"Hold on a minute!"

All five children turned around to see the head elder raising his eyebrows.

"We still haven't discussed your punishment for acting up back there"

"WHAT!"

"Awww"

"Oops"

"Errr"

"Eh heh"

Lee's grandfather grinned as all five of them hung their heads, and then added.

"And then you may Beybattle"

**Author's Notes: Next chapter, punishment! Muahahahaha! This is going to be fun! Poor White Tigers. Oh well. Too bad for them! By the way, time for a reader poll.**

**Who's your favorite of the White Tigers when they were:**

**a) 5**

**b) 9**

**c) 10**

**Answer for all three of them in your reviews, and I'll give you a little Galeon model. By the way, this is going by Ray and Lee's ages, because they have the average of all of them.**


	10. All Work and No Play

Lee flopped backwards in exasperation. Kevin giggled; Lee glared at him. Ray and Gary rolled their eyes.

All day they had been doing things Lee had deemed as "unworthy". His pouting was actually upping the punishment.

Right now, they were scrubbing the floors of the boys' bathroom in their school. They'd already helped to peel oranges (Mariah hadn't minded that one and had finished her pile twenty minutes before the boys), dust _all_ the shelves of the head elder's library (Lee claimed he never wanted to see another book in his life), and cut the grass in the field for recess (Lee had actually started a game of soccer with Ray while the others splashed around in the puddles from last night's storm, they'd gotten the bathrooms for that).

Oh, and they'd gotten their Beyblades taken away from them so they didn't "try anything foolish".

Suddenly, a little pink figure flipped onto the window from outside. They all gasped.

"Mariah! What are you doing? You're supposed to be cleaning the girls' bathroom!" Lee cried indignantly.

"You're one to talk" Mariah said, pointing to his bucket, four feet away from him, "and besides, I finished"

"How?" Lee exclaimed, "You're only one person, and the girls' bathroom is twice as big as the boys'!"

"Duh. Maybe it's just my feminine instincts"

Lee responded to this by throwing a sponge at her, which she easily dodged by grasping the top of the window and pulling herself up.

"Thanks a lot, Mariah!" Lee cried, "Now I lost my sponge!"

Mariah just laughed and jumped into the bathroom.

"Wanna see how I _really_ finished the bathroom?"

All the boys nodded except for Lee, who just pouted and looked the other way.

"Simple"

Mariah grabbed two sponges (including hers) and jumped on them, creating some sort of roller skate. She slid around the bathroom with ease.

All the boys, including Lee, were impressed. Ray and Lee grabbed one each and used them like skateboards. Kevin jumped out the window to grab Lee's and slid on it with his butt. Gary ran out to the supply cabinet and grabbed about seven, which he alternately threw at the floor once they were nice and soapy. The others would switch from sponge to sponge, and Gary joined Kevin in sliding.

Suddenly, the door burst open. There stood Gao, Naoko, and three others they identified as Ray, Kevin, and Gary's teachers, Rui Kong, Kuo Meng, and Kuang Guo.

"Err…" the five White Tigers looked at each other nervously. They expected a scolding, or even another punishment, from their teachers. But they got the complete opposite from their teachers.

They started laughing.

The White Tigers glanced at each other again, and then stared at the adults.

"Uh, what's so funny?" Lee asked.

Between giggles, Naoko managed to answer.

"You" she choked out.

"Huh?"

At that moment, Kuo fell to the ground, his hand over his eyes in laughter.

"Um, does this mean we're not gonna get punished more?" Kevin asked.

"I wouldn't go that far" Rui said, "That's up to the elder"

"Aww"

**Author's Notes: Kind of a cute ending, but too close to last chapter's to be really adorable. You know, this is the first time I've ever written a 'cutesy' story. It's kind of odd how fun it is, and that I'm getting such a turnout. The only thing I'm worried about is that I'm a very strong RayMariah fan, and when they get even older, you know, around 13 for Ray and 11 for Mariah, which won't be for a while, don't worry, but anyways, I don't know how much I'll be able to hold it back. Don't worry, it'll still be rated K, so there'll be no, well, you know, in it, but it's almost definitely going to tip that way (to RayMariah, of course, not, ahem). Would you guys mind that? I'll let you guys decide. Well, thanks for reviewing all, and all reviewers this time get… Tell 'em what they get, Molly!**

**(Random girl from Wheel of Fortune appears on the stage)**

**Molly: Well, reviewers, you'll win Kevin's bag! It's excellent for storing paper for reviewing (author chokes), and many other things! The strap fits easily around your shoulder and rests comfortably on your hip. As seen in Beyblade and Beyblade: GRevolution! Also, if you'll be entered in a drawing to have your name featured in the next chapter!**

**Well, you heard her! Get out those pads of paper and start up your reviews! (Me: This is the lamest attempt to get more reviews I've ever attempted…)**


	11. True Masters

"Now, your punishment is a difficult one" the head elder said. The five White Tigers looked at each other nervously.

"Should I let you all off, or have you do one more chore?"

"I vote for letting us off" Lee piped up, but his grandfather silenced him with a look.

"Or not…" he muttered sheepishly.

The head elder thought for a moment, gazing at each of the White Tigers individually.

"I have made my decision"

"You have?" the White Tigers began to pray.

"I will let you all off"

"YES!" Lee cried.

"On one condition"

"Uh-oh"

"Lee, you have to Beybattle Ray. I want to see that Bitbeast in action"

"OH YEAH!" Lee cried, "What kind of condition is that?"

"Shut up, Lee!" Mariah cried, "You're gonna get it taken away, you dope!"

The head elder laughed at his grandchildren's antics. Lee definetly had his father's spunk, and Mariah was filled with her mother's spirit, not to mention her beauty.

"So, let's get started!" Ray cried. The boy was always itching for a Beybattle, making him the perfect best friend for Lee.

"Right!" Lee cried.

The head elder had a portable Beystadium in his closet, mainly used when Lee was younger, for blowing off his energy.

Both boys readied their Blades. Mariah stepped to the side of the dish and began to count.

"Three…two…one…Let it rip!"

"Ha!" both boys cried, their Blades flying into the stadium.

It had been a while since the elder had watched his grandson Beyblade. He'd gotten pretty good, and having Galeon only seemed to improve his technique.

Everyone watched breathlessly as Driger and Galeon met blow for blow. Lee seemed to be taking after a total attacking strategy, but that was his problem. Ray knew the balance between attack _and_ defense, the main reason the elder had chosen him for Driger.

But Lee was filled with the determination not to lose. '_Just like his father…_' the elder thought.

Lee's blade thrashed out at Ray's, who actually seemed a little worried. Suddenly, something seemed to flash on Ray's forehead. It was in the shape of a White Tiger!

'_He's using it!_' the elder thought. Lee stared, horrified, as an enormous White Tiger came soaring out of Ray's Blade and straight at Lee's.

But it never made contact. Instead, a giant black lion was guarding Lee.

Lee's jaw dropped.

Both Bitbeasts smashed into each other, and there was a great flash of white light.

Mariah screamed as her hair went flying all over (the ribbon Lee had given her had ripped about a year ago). Kevin went bowling backwards into the back wall, and Gary slipped and fell.

The two Bladers remained firm, but did raise their arms over their faces. Then, just as suddenly as it started, it was over. Everyone leaned forward to see what the outcome was.

A tie.

After a few seconds of shock, Lee screamed with joy. He did a little flip and whooped with happiness. No one had ever beaten Ray, never even _tied_ with him. Looks like that record was broken.

After a few blinks, Ray picked up his Blade and walked over to Lee.

"Good battle" he said, outstretching his hand. Instead of shaking it, like a normal person, Lee grasped it in midair. Ray grinned.

"Come here, you two" the elder said. He led them over to a room that was in the very back, one Lee had tried to get into about a hundred times before, to no luck.

The elder opened the door with a key and told Mariah, Gary, and Kevin to stay outside.

The boys stepped into the room and stared. There were five glass boxes, but they were so foggy that you couldn't see inside of them.

Both ten year olds looked at the elder with curious eyes.

"Ray, you go towards that one in the middle. Lee, go to the one to the left of Ray's. You'll figure out what to do"

Both stepped up, and couldn't see what to do. Then they noticed the small openings on the front sides. They were small circles with a rectangle sticking out of each side.

The boys looked at each other and removed their bit chips from their Blades and pushed them into the openings.

A perfect fit.

The front end and tops of the glass cases began to lift up, opening as they rested on their wooden legs.

Inside of Ray's was a dusty red headband.

Lee's held a brown necklace with three green gems on it.

They both looked at the elder, who nodded. Ray lifted the headband, wiped off the center, and saw a yin-yang symbol looking straight back at him. He slowly place onto his forehead and tied it behind his hair.

Lee slipped the necklace over his head and around his neck. Ray gave him a thumbs-up.

The elder nodded again and the boys removed their Bit Chips from the cases, though they did not close. They remained open.

"What are those-" Lee began.

"They are for the other three that are chosen for the Bitbeasts" the elder responded.

"Let's go" Ray told Lee, and both left the room, no longer only friends, but also great rivals.

**Author's Notes: Okay, maybe that was a _bit_ too serious. And sorry if I already mentioned the necklace and headband in another chapter, just ignore that, okay? As for the contest, sorry, I didn't have room for it in this chapter, the winner (who will remain a secret until next chapter) will be presented next chapter, 'kay? Well, when you review this chapter, you can get a Wicked soundtrack, which is an AWESOME musical I recently saw. The songs are as follows:**

**1. No One Mourns the Wicked**

**2. Dear Old Shiz**

**3. The Wizard and I**

**4. What Is This Feeling?**

**5. Something Bad**

**6. Dancing Through Life**

**7. Popular**

**8. I'm Not That Girl**

**9. One Short Day**

**10. A Sentimental Man**

**11. Defying Gravity (The best song in the WHOLE show)**

**12. Thank Goodness**

**13. Wonderful**

**14. I'm Not That Girl (reprise)**

**15. As Long as You're Mine**

**16. No Good Deed**

**17. March of the Witch Hunters**

**18. For Good**

**19. Finale**

**There you go, all the songs! Now go download them on ITunes and onto your MP3 players/Ipods (or, if you're like me, go and beg your parents for one because you don't have one). See ya next chapter, and sorry this chapter took so long to post (stupid math class…)**


	12. The Third Chosen One

"Blow out the candles, Mariah!" everyone cried out. It had been a little less then a year since Ray and Lee had gotten their gifts, and it was Mariah's ninth birthday.

So much had changed since Mariah's big birthday five years ago. Everyone seemed to have changed so much, too.

Lee was no longer a little kid, completely the victim of never-able-to-beat-Ray-idis. He was now a strong Blader, confident in his skills and those of his team members'. He was one heck of a troublemaker (and that's putting it mildly), but he could be serious at times, making him a great best friend. He was the perfect master of Galeon, who represented leadership.

Mariah was as pink as ever, but she'd grown. She was even more intelligent, and had (to Lee's horror) been bumped up to their grade, putting her two grades above her girlfriends, causing a whole lot of jealousy that had ended in Mariah finally ditching them and officially hanging out with the boys. This had actually decreased her pinkness by a bit, so now she wore a white outfit (she'd outgrown her pink jacket about four years ago). She was also a lot more mature (and in more ways than one, Ray thought to himself).

Gary was the oldest of the group, so naturally, he was the biggest, but he was actually huge for a twelve year old. He'd had a major growth spurt recently, and was now 5 foot eight. He was the big peacemaker of the group, mainly to settle disputes between Mariah and Kevin, whose differences had become a lot more profound lately.

Kevin hadn't grown much lately, and was probably permanently stuck as the short one of the group, aside from the fact that he was only seven. His Beyblading skills were definetly improving, but he was using cheating tactics more than ever, causing Lee and Ray to have to yell at him about three times a minute.

As for Ray himself, he was only getting better at Blading, but was also becoming Mariah's love interest (author snickers in the distance). But, being typical naïve Ray, he had no idea. He didn't enjoy being troublemaker as much as Lee, but helped whenever he could. He had certainly earned Driger, who symbolized friendship.

Just as Mariah was breathing in to blow out her candles, Kevin beat her to it. With one whiff of his breath, all the candles were extinguished. Mariah stood there in shock for a moment, before turning on Kevin.

"You little-" she was cut off by Ray and Lee cupping their hands over her mouth. Well, she _does_ live with Lee, after all.

Kevin was laughing his butt off, but that was only until Gary pinned him down. Mariah grinned evilly and began to tickle him.

"Hah hah hah! Okay, okay! I give!" there were tears in Kevin's eyes when he finally said that, and Mariah and Gary jumped off of him.

As Kevin caught his breath, the other four headed into the living room to open presents.

"Wait, what about the cake?" Gary asked.

"Oh, I have plans for it" Mariah grinned sadistically, and everyone backed away from her.

The presents went by as usual, books (Lee cringed), money (Kevin's jaw dropped), and clothing (mostly pink). She _did_ like the pink sneakers Ming-Ming (not what you think) and her teddy bear, Mr. Wuggles, gave her, though. But no one's gift even compared to her grandfather's.

It all started when there was a knock at the door. Mariah got up to open it and blinked when she saw her grandfather standing there. But she shrugged and let him in.

When his grandfather came in, Lee instinctively hid behind Ray, thinking he'd done something wrong (again).

But when he took out a small package, wrapped in blue ribbon, Lee came out in curiosity.

When Mariah pulled off the ribbon to reveal a little red velvet box, Ray and Lee looked at each other with wide eyes. Mariah, however, had no idea what it was, and opened it curiously.

Mariah froze. She nearly dropped the box, and her mouth began to bend into differently shaped O's.

Suddenly, she let out a high-pitched squeal of joy (all the boys covered their ears).

"Now I'm in league with Ray and Lee!" she yelled, and the boys nearly fell over.

"You-y-you-" Kevin couldn't finish his sentence, but Mariah answered it for him.

"Galux"

**Author's Notes: I LOVE THAT ENDING! I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE THIS STORY, I GOT A C IN SOCIAL STUDIES AND MY PARENTS WOULDN'T LET ME ON THE INTERNET! (sobs in her little corner) Anyway, the winner, as you should know, is Mr. Wuggles. For the reviewers this chapter, you get a little figurine of Galux, along with a big hug from me and all of my apologies for being so late. I really hope this was a good chapter, and I should probably have a few more chapters done by the time I post this, so expect some frequent updates!**


	13. A Difficult Choice

"Hey guys!" Lee cried as he ran into the alley the White Tigers now practiced in, "Guess what?"

"What?" Mariah asked.

"You know the Asian Tournament that comes up every year?"

"Yeah" Ray said, getting excited.

"Well, it's gonna be in a week!"

"Really?" Mariah asked, her golden eyes growing wide.

"Do you think we could enter?" Gary asked.

"Duh" Lee said, crossing his arms, "That's why I told you"

"Yeah" Gary said, and then looked to the right, "It's just, I mean, can we qualify? With Kevin being only seven and everything…"

"Yeah" Lee said, "I checked the age limits. Kevin just barely passes"

"Whuh?" Kevin asked, yawning as he woke up from his nap, "Whus' goin' on?"

The team shook their heads and Lee began to explain again.

-xxxxxxxxxx-

"What is your team name?"

"The White Tigers"

The team was in the registration office of the Asian Tournament, and the secretary was eyeing Kevin.

"Team captain?"

"Ray Kon"

"Three main Bladers?"

Ray did a quick scan of the room.

"Ray Kon" he said, "Lee Sevela"

Lee whooped, and everyone crossed their fingers.

"And Mariah Sevela"

"Yes!" Mariah hopped out of her seat, and Kevin pouted.

"And substitute?"

"Gary Gai and Kevin Lee"

"_One_ substitute"

"What?" Kevin hopped out of his seat.

"Calm down, Kevin" Lee hissed, and the former took his seat, angrily.

"Can't we have two?" Ray pleaded, but the woman shook her head.

"One sub only"

"Then it's…" Ray looked back and forth between Gary and Kevin, and finally sighed, "Gary"

"WHAT!" Kevin screeched, and Ray looked down.

"Sorry, Kev" he said, "But Gary _is_ the better Blader"

"But-"

"Shut it, Kevin" Lee said, looking angry, "We'll discuss it later"

"Technically, he can't even be allowed on your team if he isn't seven" the woman said, "How old is he?"

"Exactly seven" Ray said, and the woman nodded.

"Well, the tournament begin Saturday, here are your passes"

Ray handed the five slips of paper to Mariah, who put them into her jacket pocket.

"You can bring five people to watch for free, the rest have to pay"

Ray nodded, and the White Tigers headed out of the office.

-xxxxxxxxxx-

"How could you!" Kevin banged his fist against the wall of the alley.

Lee looked as if he were about to say something, but Ray spoke up before him.

"Listen, Kevin, you're a good Blader, but Gary is _better_" Ray was fuming now.

"No he's not!"

"Yes he _is_!" everyone turned around to see Mariah staring Kevin down.

"Fine!" Kevin yelled, grabbing his coat and taking off, "I don't need any of you!"

"Do you think he meant that?" Ray asked worriedly, looking at Gary, who was staring at his shoes.

"I dunno" Lee answered nervously, but Mariah hopped off the crate she was sitting off.

"He'll be back" she said, and all three males looked up to the area where Kevin had stormed off.

"I hope so"

**Author's Notes: Ooh, we're getting into inter-team problems! Though I must admit it, it killed me not to let Kevin Blade. (sniffles) But I think this is what I needed, it can't just have been a happy-go-lucky (where did that phrase come from? It's so stupid) story. There have to be problems, and Kevin is just perfect for playing that role. Well, just so you know, the kids are maturing more, and Lee is losing his troublemaker self a little. But, oh well, it has to be realistic, and Kevin _is_ the real troublemaker. So, Sayonara Bye Bye, and until next chapter!**


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